Tony Gibson has agreed to return to West Virginia as secondary coach, five years after he left WVU to join Rich Rodriguez at Michigan, a source told MetroNews late Tuesday.
On Wednesday morning, Arizona announced Gibson was no longer with the program.
University of Arizona photo
Gibson’s hiring will fill one of two openings on the Mountaineers’ defensive staff after head coach Dana Holgorsen fired Daron Robert and Steve Dunlap.
The other opening could soon be offered to Brian Mitchell, who was fired Jan. 3 after three seasons as East Carolina’s defensive coordinator.
The 40-year-old Gibson is a native of Van, W.Va. who played defensive back at Glenville State from 1990-93. After launching his coaching career with Division II stops at Glenville, Cumberland University and West Virginia Tech, Gibson joined Rodriguez at WVU from 2001-07, serving as defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator.
The Mountaineers went 60-26 in that span, highlighted by three Big East titles and two BCS appearances, but Gibson and Rodriguez resigned in December 2007, leaving for Michigan four weeks before WVU upset Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
Gibson assisted Rodriguez during a calamitous three-year stint with the Wolverines, and after the staff was dismissed, he spent the 2011 season at Pitt, working as secondary coach alongside current WVU defensive coordinator Keith Patterson.
This past season, Gibson reunited with Rodriguez in Arizona, where he served as assistant head coach and oversaw the safeties and defensive special teams. The Wildcats went 8-5 with a 49-48 New Mexico Bowl victory over Nevada, but ranked 117th nationally in pass defense (292.8 yards per game), 118th in total defense (499 yards per game) and 84th in pass efficiency defense.
93
Comments
Jean
Welcome back Gibby!!!!
January 9, 2013 at 9:04 am | Report comment
Marcus
This hire has to be a joke! Going from Steve Dunlap to Tony Gibson is like trading Peyton Manning for Rex Grossman. What in the world is happening at WVU????
January 9, 2013 at 9:04 am | Report comment
chad
Really? Peyton Manning? I think you overestimate Dunlap. I mean Iliked the guy and wasn't happy about him getting the ax but Peyton Mannig??? Also Gibby wont be replacing Dunlap, he is replacing Roberts who had zero experience
January 9, 2013 at 12:46 pm | Report comment
chad
Not a great hire but I personally believe DB play is more about talent at the position than coaching. You can either cover guys or you can't.Plain and simple. All a coach needs to do is make sure you know your assignments at all times. And like someone else said, at least he brings some Mountaineer blood to the staff
January 9, 2013 at 9:05 am | Report comment
Jean
From 2001-07 our defense was pretty darn competitive and Gibby was coaching so give him a chance. He is a West Virginian and for that reason I like him here.
January 9, 2013 at 9:06 am | Report comment
ralph bowles
this is a trainwreck from a public relations perspective. did someone not mention to hologersen the circumstances of gibson leaving wvu in '07? this spin about his recruiting ability in western pa....really..are you kidding me. "west virginia blood"...really. i didnt realize that meant cutting and running out at midnight to michigan. bad, bad and bad. one more reason to question hologersens judgment.
January 9, 2013 at 9:11 am | Report comment
chad
Hey if Rod wanted to comeback I would welome him too. That whole fiasco was the drunk Pastilong and that idiot Garrisons fault. If Luck had been our AD then we would still have RRod and probably 2 national tiltles by now.
January 9, 2013 at 12:48 pm | Report comment
Habib Haddad
I believe this hire is more about recruiting Western Pennsylvania and Ohio than coaching up defensive backs. I hope it it both, however.
January 9, 2013 at 9:13 am | Report comment
Artimus
Laughable. That's all you can say. One of the biggest jokes in the annals of WVU football coaching history and we hire him back. Ab-so-lute-ly inexcusable.
January 9, 2013 at 9:17 am | Report comment
J!
Good grief. You don't look at one coaching season and yell Attica Attica! As I recall our db's were pretty solid when he coached in the RichRod era. Stop harping on Holgerson. If you think you cab go into a offensive Juggernaut like the Big 12 with 8 freshman in your 2 deep defense and produce the nations number 1 defense then you may be the college equivalent of Jesus. Otherwise shut up and give us time!
January 9, 2013 at 9:21 am | Report comment
Earthgate21
Our Corners were terrible under Rich! I like Rich and would welcome him back but Gibby's on field coaching was a real problem.
January 9, 2013 at 9:27 am | Report comment
Shawn
I like the hire. They had a pretty good secondary while RR was there and i really think he'll bring a different style to this defense. Also he'll bring some enthusiasm back! Thats one thing RR teams had...enthusiasm and heart. We need it.
January 9, 2013 at 9:42 am | Report comment
Jim N Charleston
To quote a former Concensus All American WVU CB who played in the NFL for 9 years, "He's Clueless!"
January 9, 2013 at 10:03 am | Report comment
Shawn
He's going to be used to bring kids in. He's well none as a big time recruiter. This was one of WVU's areas of concern.
January 9, 2013 at 10:25 am | Report comment
chad
so who are you quoting?
January 9, 2013 at 1:06 pm | Report comment
Jim N Charleston
Are you serious?
There's only been 1 Consensus All American Corner Back in school history. Try Google.
If you still don't know I'll give you a hint his name rhymes with Baron Aeasley.
To clarify the exact wording was "He's &$#*ing Clueless!"
January 9, 2013 at 7:05 pm | Report comment
Big Daddy
It appears those who are most against this hire are the same ones who were against Holgorson from the start due to his lack of ties to WV. If Oliver likes the hire, then so do I. The defense only has one way to go from here plus Gibby can recruit.
January 9, 2013 at 10:23 am | Report comment
Big Tom
once again to show our disapproval, we now need to quit going to games and finanicing this ship wreck..
hiring a loser for a team going downhill isn;t my idea of righting the ship'
this hire would just prove how totally lost the athletic dept really is..
i won't go to any games and spend my money until wvu shows they really know what they are doing and want to win.
January 9, 2013 at 10:41 am | Report comment
Jim
1 bad season equals "shipwreck". Get a life
January 9, 2013 at 11:23 am | Report comment
cutty77
Hey Give Gibby a Break Here.The Kids Love him he is a Great Recruiter too.Gibby was Rich's boy,but he misses his mother very much and all of us.Plus if you see Gibby's Wife,you know he is a great Recruiter.Ha,Ha
January 9, 2013 at 11:11 am | Report comment
Brian
I am ok with this hire. When you see Gibson everyone is automatically seeing RR face. He is a West Virginian. He is one of us. So he left to follow his boss. Who cares. I have left companies before. He is a heck of a recruiter, and Patterson must have liked what he did with him at Pitt. If he was "crap" at Pitt I don't think Patterson would have been ok. Welcome home Gibby.
January 9, 2013 at 11:21 am | Report comment
Jim
Amen
January 9, 2013 at 11:22 am | Report comment